Posted by Tim Kawakami on January 6th, 2009 at 4:39 pm | Categorized as NBA, Warriors

I checked again with people who know Monta Ellis, and I will repeat and now can amplify what I’ve been saying for weeks:

Ellis is working to get back healthy, but he is not happy with the Warriors, it’s getting worse, and he definitely is not pleased about rejoining a Warriors universe that is ruled by Don Nelson and Robert Rowell.

In fact, the word is that Ellis’ recovery is coming along very nicely. Whether that means he’s ready to play in a few weeks or a month or in late-March, nobody knows. It’s just looking good for him as his ankle heals and he begins to get ready for some full-court work.

However, that is not a purely positive thing for the Warriors. It could be a very bad thing for the Warriors, unless a sudden ceasefire is called between Warriors management and Ellis.

Of course, if you’ve been following the last six months of Warriors activity, you know further ugliness is a far better bet than any semblance of tranquility. Rowell and Nelson are cultivating and attracting ugliness, for no good reason that I can see.

I’ve said that I don’t think Ellis will ever play for the Warriors again. Now I’ve got to allow that it’s possible that he plays for them merely to boost his value and increase his leverage, all after informing the Warriors that he wants to be traded. Possible.

I don’t think Ellis has requested a trade as of yet, but he’s also not healthy yet. He could also demand that the Warriors drop the $3M fine and/or immediately waive the right to void his contract, but I think the Warriors will definitely do the void-waiving at some point.

At this point, Rowell and Nelson can’t afford to let Ellis go for free. But if he demands a trade? It’s also not clear what his trade value would be. Watch how this one develops.

Because, as Ellis gets ready to play and begins to look more and more like a player worth his $66M contract, he and his associates are growing more and more confident in his position, and that means he has more leverage against the team that suspended him for 30 games and $3M.

Plus, it wouldn’t be shocking if Ellis’ stance has been sharpened after watching Nelson’s rough treatment of Anthony Randolph. I’ve been told that Ellis looks at Randolph and sees a version of himself from a few years ago: Bustling with talent, tough, young, and frequently mishandled by Nelson.

Ellis knows that Nelson wanted to trade him before the 2007 draft, straight up, for the rights to Acie Law.

I believe that Ellis, like Al Harrington before him, is realizing that he doesn’t want to play for Nelson any more–he doesn’t want Belinelli and Crawford used as pawns against him, he doesn’t want to get caught up in this spiraling season as Nelson plays his mind games.

That is not a recipe for a wonderful comeback story, at least not for the Warriors.

Oh, and by the way, you had to know that the Randolph situation is reaching a boiling point. Nelson’s playing Rob Kurz ahead of him, not because of loves Kurz, but because he wants to demean Randolph and doesn’t like that Randolph is furious about it.

My point: Would Nelson and his staff rather see Randolph meekly accept playing behind a demonstrably worse power forward? No. So why are they bothered with Randolph’s fire?

I don’t understand it. But I do understand that Randolph is a very talented player that Nelson has already lost.

This might be more of Kawakami's bullcrap but if it's true, and Monta bolts, we are FUCKED. If this happens, they will hopefully take a huge hit financially because no one shows up to their games. Hopefully, this is speculation though.

metalface wrote:Jesus. I really, really hope Monta doesn't want to go but I cant blame him for feeling disgruntled with the Warriors.

I won't feel 100% about this franchise until Cohan sells the team to someone who cares about winning or, until HE shows that he cares about winning by firing Rowell and Nelson.

EXACTLY right. I am serious that if Monta goes, I am boycotting the team until Rowell/Nelson are out of here. Nelson is a drunken, washed-up, bullying has-been who loves to **** with young "uppity" rookies cause he can...he pines for the days when being a slow, stumbling midwestern farm boy with no vertical game who could shoot was enough to be on 8 championship teams...

To Live is A Value Judgment - Albert Camus
3 reasons for living: Jazz, Hoops and women

It's not the same case than Jackson's incident. Kawakami was reporting a fact there. In this article, he ain't telling anything other than his opinion. Just that. There are no quotes, reports or anything based on facts, so it's just an opinion, as valid as any other.

Actually, not even that, because Kawakami shouldn't look at creating rumors on the fly. He should report on what he sees and hears, but then the article would have ended in "In fact, the word is that Ellis’ recovery is coming along very nicely".

Certainly not enough to catch anybody's attention... so he had to "complete" what was left of it. Disgusting.

You know what though, if Monta wants out, the team could package him and Maggette and/or Crawford or SJackson for a total superstar, like Bosh. Far fetched right now, yes, but if Monta was to go he has to be traded and not let go, with his contract voided. Something like Monta and Maggette for Bosh and Moon would be very good

migya wrote:You know what though, if Monta wants out, the team could package him and Maggette and/or Crawford or SJackson for a total superstar, like Bosh. Far fetched right now, yes, but if Monta was to go he has to be traded and not let go, with his contract voided. Something like Monta and Maggette for Bosh and Moon would be very good

I would love to get Bosh, and you and I are in agreement on that trade, but I don't think TO would ever go for it. As great as Monta will be, you take a great big over a great small any day of the week.

To Live is A Value Judgment - Albert Camus
3 reasons for living: Jazz, Hoops and women